ARC Review: Three to Tango by Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, Emma Holly, Bethany Kane

Blurb:

Four of erotic fiction’s most talented authors carry readers away with all-new tales of ecstasy that prove that the most delectable things in life come in threes…

In Emma Holly’s FLIPPING FOR CHELSEA, Shay and Liam shared an unforgettable night with their lifelong friend, Chelsea, awakening a rush of forbidden feelings—feelings they have to reckon with when the three reunite, and the unrequited lust between them is too much to bear.

Though Ava left her hard-knock Georgia childhood behind, she never forgot Luca and Angelo. Together they were best friends with a bond that could never be broken. But when she returns, the three must decide whether to face the fires that burn between them, or forgo their desires forever in Lauren Dane’s DIRTY/BAD/WRONG.

In Megan Hart’s JUST ONE NIGHT, fun-loving couple Kerry and Jeremy find themselves in a triangle of trouble when Kerry’s old crush, Brian, returns for a school reunion, and Jeremy gives her his enthusiastic approval to seduce him. But while Jeremy has no trouble sharing Kerry, Brian isn’t sure he can handle what’s coming.

Years ago, Walker walked out on Madeline when she needed him most. Now, the ex-Secret Service agent is back—hired to protect Madeline by her billionaire boss, Tony. Madeline is determined to make him pay for denying her desires—and she’s not above bringing Tony in to sweeten the deal in Beth Kery’s ON THE JOB.

Susi's review:
When I got the chance to review this anthology I actually jumped up and down like a madwoman. I love Ms Dane's and Ms Hart's writing and both in one book was just too good to be true. In retrospect I'm even more happy I read it because I discovered another great author.

Dirty/Bad/Wrong by Lauren Dane - 5 stars

This story has all the reason why I love Lauren's writing. It's sexy as hell- we have some serious dirty talking and the general sexual openness I admire in her work. She isn't afraid to take the unconventional route even in a genre that already is exactly that. We get a menage where the guys are also in love. *swoon* I love that. Why? Because I always doubt these scenarios where the guys just love the woman and still live together happily forever after. I like when the love is more balanced out and for me it's just what I want to read about in a book like this.

Second fact why I love her books- she has a way to create these family bonds- even when the "family" isn't the real blood related one. She threads all the emotions together and you won't be able to stay detached. She just grabs your heart and you will fall in love with her characters. Just wonderful.Her characters are wonderful fleshed out and each one of them has a special feel- it makes them special in their own and give the story itself more vibrancy. One of my favorite stories by Ms Dane.

Just One Night by Megan Hart - 4 stars

Again Ms Hart chose one of the harder ways to approach the threesome topic. I love the way she always does that- she catches your interest with raising one of those "moral" questions (okay that sounds weird but it kind of is like this) and then pushes you through the story on your way to discover how she will solve it

Jeremy is the mysterious boyfriend that likes the idea of letting his girlfriend fuck her teenage crush. At first he really seemed fun and yes some people have kinks like that but a bit into the story I started thinking about what kind of boyfriend that is? Does he actually love her? These are also some questions Kerry asks herself. She is concerned about what her actions will actually mean to the working relationship she lives in. Will she ruin this? Does she care if she does? Because when she really is honest she wants it too. Brian isn't only her teenage crush- he still is one of her fantasies and don't we love it when those are even better in real life?
Brian is a nice guy in contrast to our first 2 protagonists- the guy you would fall in love with in high school and always dream about later in your life. He's not as "dirty" as these two are and he's a bit thrown headfirst into the mix without any real warning. But he learns fast and with the passion he and Kerry have going between each other it's no real surprise.
In the middle of the story the tension rose so much I just couldn't stop reading..- a heart-wrenching sitution that will make you ache. Again a very emotionally intense story I love through and through.

Flipping for Chelsea by Emma Holly - 5 stars

Okay i admit my first thought was WTF seriously? But luckily my misinterpretation of the beginning solved itself really fast and nearly immediately changed into OMFG hawt. Shay and Liam are very different characters. The young Shay we meet in the first chapter really broke my heart. He is a nice guy with a tragic past that was just so cute. He's a teenage boy with a huge crush not only on his best friend, Chelsea, but also on his "brother" (who isn't really his brother *whew*) Liam. He can't help it but he wants them both and he knows that if he ever shows his attraction in front of Liam he will lose the precious friendship they share. This made me so sad- love should never be something you have to hide but unfortunately sometimes it's the only way to keep something you treasure more than anything save. Liam on the other side is more mature and let's say it as it is more built. *swoon* I loved him- the young and the older one. He's demanding but not overbearing. Caring but not to mushy- just the right mix for my taste. When the story progressed into the present time the tension between our characters was even stronger. I loved how everything in this story fit together- the characterization, the story and the sex scenes just fit and made it a whole thing that was wonderfully balanced.
The sex scene in the first chapter really caught me off guard and made me sit around with an open mouth- now I'm not even sure why. It wasn't something I never read about before but Ms Holly wrote it in a way that blew me away- in a really burning hot way. I don't know why I never read her books before but I already order 3 other books- so you can see it was awesome. 

On The Joby by Bethany Kane - 3 stars

This one was sadly my least favorite in this anthology. It seems Ms Kery's writing is a hit or miss for me. For my taste the characterisation was too shallow and the sex to intense in comparism. I couldn't really follow why the attraction between them was burning so hot and even more I didn't get why Madeline submitted so easily to Walker. My connection to the characters didn't grow enough- so I actually felt pretty detached while reading it. I also thought that Walker got away with too much but perhaps that resolutes in my non-understanding of their relationship. The story was still really hot even though it pushed some of my buttons. The plot was nice at first but it resolved too easily. It really took the second row and the sex was too much the focus. Don't get me wrong I like my smut like any girl but I actually would have more depth around it.

Three to Tango is one of the best anthologies I ever read. It kept me glued to the pages and actually prevented me from doing the important stuff for one whole day. A great collection of erotic romance which also delivers the emotional depth I love in my books. Highly recommended read!

and the HEAs are devilishly good. *g*

Author Links:

Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, Emma Holly, Bethany Kane

Book Links:

Goodreads, Amazon, The Book Depository

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I'm alone here today so it's Paris time!!

Hey everyone! Caro left town for a working trip to Paris today and I know she hates every second of it. Not only is it work she isn't a real Paris fan in contrast to me. I love Paris with all my heart so I thought I use this moment of uncontrolled freedom to post about my love for Paris.

Seine

I only visited Paris twice in my live but what I loved most about both times is not only typical for Paris but more a whole France thing- the French are way more relaxed than we Germans are. They have a smoother way of life, don't worry so much about the tiny unimportant things in life and they aren't as pedantic. So going to France for me is always like getting rid of the world around me which is always too correct and actually be free to be me- sit around and drink wine (they have wonderful wine) and just enjoy my time.

Notre Dame

Then their is the architecture. I'm a real sucker for old buildings and could walk around just staring at buildings for hours. For me those are the mirror of time and I like to imagine how it was to live at the time a certain building was finished. Okay I admit the Middle Ages aren't very nice but I always blend out the not so nice facts- that's what fantasy is for after all. ;) But imagine sitting in a street cafe enjoying a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and just looking at Notre Dame (not that I could actually afford that- the prizes there are just O_o).

Dôme des Invalides

Then we have the Art. Paris has some of the best museums and I love to look at art nearly as much as at buildings.

Louvre

I only have a picture of the Louvre but I actually prefer Musé d´Orsay- they have a wonderful collection of the most famous impressionists. Unfortunately no wine in there.

Grave Jim Morrison      -      Grave Heinrich Heine

Then we have the history and I don't mean only the heavy on ewe heard about in school. I mean pop culture history. and yes I actually agree to make a trip to a graveyard is kind of weird but we were young and didn't know any better (let's blame it on the wine).

Anon in the Metro Station *wink

And then we have the fun you will have while being drunk in the Metro. And finally it's just pure bliss to be on the Eiffel Tower just look over Paris.

So that is why I love Paris. Perhaps someday Caro will tell us why she doesn't. ;)

Do you have a favorite city? Which is yours and why?

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Earworm of the Week - April 26th, 2011

We are absolute music addicts and we often share a good or bad song per day. So why should only we suffer through our earworm addiction? We don't have to so here we will post about them and hopefully get a glimpse at your earworm of the week.

Susi: Beatsteaks - Cheap Comments

Susi: I love Beatsteaks and the new video just rocks big time. I'm in love! Their videos are always different I like the difference the skeleton suits create to the woman. It's fun- like the band. If you haven't heard of them before you really should check them out. They make great entertaining rock. One of my all time favorite bands. 

Caro:  I really love this band. Of course it was rec'ed to me by one very German crazy laaaaaady *g* I love that the video has an 'old' feel. It looks like a vid from the 90s. Funny funny *g*


Caro: Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude

Caro:  So last week I had Judas by Lady Gaga stuck in my head...ALL WEEK. *headdesk* But this week it's been finally replaced...(I'm not even sure it's good news lol) by Jessie J's Do It Like A Dude. I think I saw a video of the BRIT2011 where Jessie J was performing an acoustic version of Do It Like a Dude . One thing leading to another I ended up clicking on the 'related' videos on youtube (Work of the devil these links)  and this video music stuck me as very funny. So now I'm 'doing it like a dude' all day LOL Please suffer with me ;) 

Susi:  Okay I admit it is better then Juda-aaaa-aaa-aaa *rolls eyes* Poor hon and her youtube addiction. LOL ((hugs))

So what's your earworm of the week?

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We're talking Covers again!

We're at Book Lovers Inc today talking about covers that got it wrong!

This week’s topic was decided after reading a comment from LSUReader on last week’s Romance and Me post. She pointed out how often characters’ physical flaws aren’t shown on the covers. We agree that this is an interesting topic, so this week we’ll be telling you about covers that got it wrong! While researching this topic we noticed that it’s harder than we thought to remember the BAD one sin this case. So please share you’re discoveries with us.

Come on over and join the fun here.

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About Us!

The professional about us:
We are two European Girls who love  to read- mostly romance. We blog about everything book related and enjoy every minute of it. If you want us to review your book please check out our review policy.
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The fun one:

We're just two girls who found each other through their shared obsession love for romance novels. Everything started like an ordinary blogger friendship but we actually formed a hivemind over time and now we're always talking to each other. To give a you a small glimpse into our life together here a top ten eleven ... okay our top something list of things we have in common:

1. We make fun of each other's typos- no matter what, we are ruthless that way.

2. We use "dildo" instead of "ditto" just cuz it makes us laugh. Yes, our humor is rather immature.

3. We love to use these O_O O_o O_O O8O and call each other (squirrel) and (bunny)- wanna guess who's who?

4. We can make a party with music and get awfully drunk but still chat with each other- it's a miracle.

5. Caro always tries to send Susi weird pics at work- so she will make weird noises while on the phone. The small pleasures of life.

6. We write each other midnight or morning emails only cuz we haven't talked in more than 4 hours.

7. We actually talk to each other through many ways: emails, comments, twitter and goodreads even though we have a chat window open at the same time.

8. We can laugh for hours at websites like LOLcat, Failbook, DYAC.

9. we're email impersonating each other.

10. Caro always forces Susi to spoil books for her and Susi tries to reassure her without actually doing it.

11. We have an on-going country fight where Susi is the mad German and Caro the glass-seeing French.

12. We keep sending each other links of covers and discuss them in great detail and never without cussing.

13. We are proud members of #peenfriday.

14. We endure each others fangirl squees even when we don't agree we bear each other's obessions. Susi's is Megan Hart and Caro's is historicals.

15. We always use #fail hashtags even if we aren't on twitter

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Review: Out of the Blue by Annemarie Hartnett

Description:
Georgie knew that hooking up with her ex would bring complications. For one, Anthony is trying to help her out by getting her a job with his latest boyfriend, Etienne. For another, he’s hinting that he and Etienne might want her to join them the next time they get together to play. It isn’t long before Anthony’s suggestion ignites a bit of after-hours fun between the boss and his new employee, and Georgie finds herself enjoying the attention of two gorgeous men at the same time. And it doesn't stop there.

But it can’t be multiple orgasms all the time for Georgie, not when one of her boyfriends decides he’s not happy, making everyone unhappy. The high of being a part of a scorching threesome wears off, leaving Georgie fighting to keep the perfect relationship intact.

Twice the boyfriend. Twice the fun. More trouble than she ever imagined.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse (implied), male/male sexual practices, menage (m/m/f, m/f/m).

Review:
I really don't know where to start- this book blew me away. I already fell in love with Hartnett's writing in the past but I think this one may just be my favorite of hers. This book has it all- hilarious witty scenes, deep emotion and inner struggle and a love story so hawt and sexy it will blow you away too. But lets start at the beginning.

In Out of the Blue we meet some wonderful characters. Georgie is living through some rough times right now. She lost her job and has to move out of her apartment cuz she can't afford the rent anymore. But still she doesn't lose her wit and humor. She is strong and open minded and I would love to have a friend like that. She's game for all the crazy stupid things that make life more interesting and fun.

On the other hand we have her ex, Anthony and I actually fell in love with him from the start. He is a strong character and 100% alpha material. He's bisexual and even though he and Georgie realized some time back that they aren't made to be an item they have a certain friends with benefits arrangement going on. They are a fun non-couple and make the best of the time they have together. I loved how Anthony always teased Georgie- he certainly knows how to build up the excitement. *wink*

But in the last few months another man joined the equation- Etienne is Anthony's new boyfriend and they seem to have the potential to become something serious. Etienne is so funny- I loved how cluttered he was but still never lost focus of the important things.
Quote Georgie to Etienne about his office moving plans:

“Screw the boxes. Go up to Citadel Hill and ask to borrow one of the cannons from the fortress. Then you can stuff everything into it, aim it north, and then blow your shit into your new office.”

He's also such a  social engaged character and he KNOWS what he wants. He is a wonderful character I deeply admired. He stole my heart even though I thought Anthony already had it.

I loved how geeky the guys could be at times. You may have noticed that I have a little soft spot for pop-culture references and this book made me happy.

One of the things that makes this book special to me is the glimpse we get into Georgie's mind. She made me burst out laughing so often.

Georgie's thoughts before first "date" with Etienne:

I suppose it won’t hurt. Then again, I’ll bet that’s what the guy on the Internet said right before he tried to have sex with that horse.

I loved how the relationship between our 3 characters built up slowly and their dynamics were spot on. It's not one of those rosy painted relationships that make you shake you head. These three just seemed so real with human flaws and appealing little twists. I was glued to the pages. Even when they fought the wit and fun never were completely gone.

“I'm going home. You two can stay here and club one another to death with raw pieces of brontosaurus meat, but I'm leaving.”

But there are also those deep emotional situation that left me teary eyed once or twice. This book is just such a great mix of everything- I can't say enough how much I liked it. And lets not forget the sexy time. *swoon* Oh my these two guys are hot on their own but together they are force you just can't ignore. *fans herself*

“Naked Saturday. Remember? We can bend the sex rule seeing as my vagina is probably broken at this point, but I'd really like to remain naked and toasty.”

Out of the Blue is a highly recommended read. Wonderful characters, perfect pace and a story that will touch your heart. It's witty, funny and such a sexy read- it just has it all. It kept me glued to the pages all day and I couldn't put it down until I read the last word. Hartnett did it again- I can't wait to get my hands on her next book.

To learn more about Annemarie and her books please visit her website here.
Read other reviews @goodreads. Buy the book at @LooseID.

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